It is Good News for a Reason

There are two things that indicate a growing Church. First, the people are excited about their Church. Some even produce bumper stickers to share their joy with the world around them. The second indication of a growing Church is how many new people come to stay.

If we are not excited enough to share our Church with our friends, then our Church cannot grow. We don’t even have to actively invite people to share our joy. If people see our excitement about our Church, it draws their attention, and they will invite themselves. Either way, excitement draws people.

At that time, when the men of Gennesaret recognized Jesus, they sent round to all that region and brought to him all that were sick, and besought him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment; and as many touched it were made well. Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die.’ But you say, ‘If any one tells his father or his mother, What you would have gained from me is an offering, he need not honor his father or mother.’ So, for the sake of your tradition, you have made void the commandment of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’” And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

Matthew 14:35–36;15:1–11

In today’s Gospel reading we witness that excitement firsthand. As soon as people figured out Who Jesus was, the first thing they did was bring their friends to meet Him. They couldn’t contain their joy. They felt compelled to share their joy with others. Do you share your joy about Christ?

Too often people’s experience of us is limited to hearing us talk about lengthy prayer rules and limiting fasting obligations and the guilt in our voices when we admit to falling short of the ‘rules’ given to us. There is rarely joy in our voice when we talk about Christ and the Church.

A life focusing on ‘the rules’ wasn’t successful for the Pharisees to recognize Christ. We also witness that in today’s Gospel lesson. “Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?” There was no joy in the Pharisees, just obligation and rules.

It isn’t that rules are not necessary. Rules help keep our focus, but they are not the purpose. It wasn’t rules that blinded the Pharisees. It was their lack of joy to be children of God. It was their lack of joy in the “Good News” that God would send them a savior. We run the same risk.

If the time we spend speaking with others about Christ is focused on ‘the rules’ of the Church rather than the Good News of Christ (remember Good News is the translation of Gospel), we shouldn’t be surprised when our Church doesn’t grow. People need our joy, not our rules.

Rules only help someone participate with others in something they love. Let them see your joy for Christ and the Church. Don’t stop following ‘the rules’ given to you by your spiritual father. Just stop making ‘the rules’ the focus of your sharing. It is called Good News for a reason.